Roller cone drill bits are commonly used in the oil and gas industry for drilling wells. FIG. 1 shows one example of a roller cone drill bit used in a conventional drilling system for drilling a well bore in an earth formation. The drilling system includes a drilling rig 10 used to turn a drill string 12 which extends downward into a wellbore 14. Connected to the end of the drill string 12 is a roller cone-type drill bit 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, roller cone bits 20 typically comprise a bit body 22 having an externally threaded connection at one end 24, and at least one roller cone 26 (usually three as shown) attached at the other end of the bit body 22 and able to rotate with respect to the bit body 22. Disposed on each of the cones 26 of the bit 20 are a plurality of cutting elements 28 typically arranged in rows about the surface of the cones 26. The cutting elements 28 can be tungsten carbide inserts, polycrystalline diamond inserts, boron nitride inserts, or milled steel teeth. If the cutting elements 28 are milled steel teeth, they may be coated with a hardfacing material.
When a roller cone bit is used to drill earth formations, the bit may experience abrasive wear. Abrasive wear occurs when hard, sharp formation particles slide against a softer surface of the bit and progressively remove material from the bit body and cutting elements. The severity of the abrasive wear depends upon, among other factors, the size, shape, and hardness of the abrasive particles, the magnitude of the stress imposed by the abrasive particles, and the frequency of contact between the abrasive particles and the bit.
Abrasive wear may be subclassified in to three categories: low-stress abrasion, high-stress abrasion, and gouging abrasion. Low-stress abrasion occurs when forces acting on the formation are not high enough to crush abrasive particles. Comparatively, high-stress abrasion occurs when forces acting on the formation are sufficient to crush the abrasive particles. Gouging abrasion occurs when even higher forces act on the formation and the abrasive particles dent or gouge the bit body and/or the cutting elements of the bit.
As a practical matter, all three abrasion mechanisms act on the bit body and cutting elements of drill bits. The type of abrasion may vary over different parts of the bit. For example, shoulders of the bit may only experience low-stress abrasion because they primarily contact sides of a wellbore. However, a drive row of cutting elements, which are typically the cutting elements that first contact a formation, may experience both high-stress and gouging abrasion because the cutting elements are exposed to high axial loading.
Drill bit life and efficiency are of great importance because the rate of penetration of the bit through earth formations is related to the wear condition of the bit. Accordingly, various methods have been used to provide abrasion protection for drill bits in general, and specifically for roller cones and cutting elements. For example, roller cones, cutting elements, and other bit surfaces have been coated with hardfacing material to provide more abrasion resistant surfaces. Further, specialized cutting element insert materials have been developed to optimize longevity of the cutting elements. While these methods of protection have met with some success, drill bits still experience wear.
As a bit wears, its cutting profile can change. One notable effect of the change in cutting profile is that the bit drills a smaller diameter hole than when new. Changes in the cutting profile and in gage diameter act to reduce the effectiveness and useful life of the bit. Other wear-related effects that are less visible also have a dramatic impact on drill bit performance. For example, as individual cutting elements experience different types of abrasive wear, they may wear at different rates. As a result, a load distribution between roller cones and between cutting elements may change over the life of the bit. The changes may be undesirable if, for example, a specific roller cone or specific rows of cutting elements are exposed to a majority of axial loading. This may cause further uneven wear and may perpetuate a cycle of uneven wear and premature bit failure.
For the foregoing reasons, there exists a need for an effective method of improving the wear characteristics of drill bits, and specifically of roller cone drill bits. The design of the bits should be such that the wear experienced over the life of the bit does not cause drilling inefficiency or early failure of the drill bit.